Hatfield neighbors speak out against plans to rezone, build homes on Walter property

An empty corn field is seen at 3515 Cowpath Road, the 35-acre Walter property at Cowpath and Township Line roads that has been the subject of lengthy discussions by Hatfield residents and officials.
DAN SOKIL - DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA

Hatfield Twp. >> Neighbors of a 35-acre parcel in Hatfield Township have had their first chance to speak out against plans to build roughly 60 new homes there, and the conversation will likely continue at least into this month.

Hatfield’s commissioners continued last week to hold public hearings on the 35-acre parcel on Cowpath Road known as the Walter property, and residents voiced concerns about the traffic they say the project would add.

“Has Cowpath undergone vast improvements over the past few years? Will it be widened? That’s hardly possible, without removing numerous existing homes, or having them so close to the roadway that they look more like drive-up service centers than homes,” said resident Wayne Rutter of Cowpath Road. “Is this negative impact on existing residents fair? Simply put, Cowpath Road was not designed to handle the massive volume of traffic that’s now using it, and it certainly cannot handle any more.”

Rutter was among several nearby residents who said they were worried about increased traffic on an already busy road. He said he expected 64 new homes to each bring with them two cars, one for each of two parents working or driving during the day, and he said any teenagers learning to drive could make the impact even higher.

“Do the right thing, for the existing Hatfield Township taxpaying residents who will be directly impacted by your decision, every single day, and not in favor of those who will be gone as soon as the ink is dry,” he said.

Neighbor Ray Masser pointed out that Township Line Road, which borders the property on its west side, “was the last dirt road in Hatfield Township until only a few years ago, when it was finally paved.”

“It’s narrow, with no shoulders, and Cowpath is at its narrowest (there) also, with no shoulders for several hundred feet,” he said. “Most residents have lost mailboxes due to cars leaving the roadway.”

A theoretical access road planned to run next to his house could likely not be wide enough for two trucks next to each other, he added.

John Schilling of Cowpath, who is also a member of the North Penn School District’s school board, said he hoped Hatfield’s board would keep in mind the projections that show the project would have a positive impact of roughly $88,000 per year for the township, but a negative impact of roughly $350,000 per year to the district.

“I’m concerned because of the precedent it sets. It’s easy when you make a decision to rezone something and it has a detrimental effect to another public entity, and doesn’t have a detrimental affect to you,” he said. “There’s good people on both sides here, and I hope you’ll take our concerns into consideration.”

Bill Forst, a direct neighbor to the property in question, said he knew of several neighbors who would be interested in buying at least part of the property in question to add storage for themselves. Carol Walter of the Walter family said she never heard any of those offers, and that the only reason the property has been used as a farm is that a parent wanted it maintained until they passed away.

“At the current time, we have somebody coming in, who is doing some crops to the tune of $1,200 a year, which doesn’t pay for taxes, insurance, or anything. There’s no money made here. The property is going to be sold,” she said. “The current zoning puts a hardship on the property, since all the surrounding properties are now basically residential. We believe, if you were going through the zoning process new today, we doubt that you would choose light industrial for this area.”

Attorney Robert McNelly and land planner Creigh Rahenkamp made a more detailed case on behalf of the neighbors, and said the choice facing the board was whether to approve the request for residential zoning, or to keep the property as is.

“This property was purchased as a farm, it’s been used as a farm, it remains a farm. If you do nothing here, that will not change,” McNelly said. “You do not have to act. You do not have to vote in favor of one or the other. It can remain what it’s been for decades and decades.”

McNelly and Rahenkamp said the light industrial zoning could allow for several other uses beyond the truck terminal use the applicants have suggested could be built there, a prospect McNelly called “a thinly veiled scare tactic.”

“I do not think there is any suggestion we’ve heard that traffic, from what it is today, will be improved by this development. It might be better than an imaginary truck depot, but not compared to what’s there today,” McNelly said.

Attorney Frank Bartle, representing the developer who would build the new neighborhood, said the high turnout of residents opposing the rezone was proof that the rezone was needed, because they want the property to keep the industrial zoning that prevents any further development.

“As you’ve heard, the property’s location and size make it a terrible candidate for industrial development. It is simply too small in size and too far from major roads and highways to be a legitimate option for most of these industrial uses,” he said. “Give us a rational, reasonable use of this property, pursuant to zoning. Zone our property the way that it should be zoned, in light of the surrounding uses, and you will have a beautiful development of single family homes.”

Commissioners President Tom Zipfel thanked the attorneys on both sides, and the residents, for making their case in a civil manner, and said the conversation will continue until the board has had time to review the arguments made by both sides, and all residents with thoughts on the project have had their say.

“You’re going to know in advance when we will have a decision, and we promise you, we’re going to listen to every single resident,” Zipfel said.

Hatfield’s commissioners next meet at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the township administration building, 1950 School Road. For more information or meeting agendas and materials visit www.HatfieldTownship.org or follow @HatfieldPA on Twitter.